Outdoor fire
Details
This is an expired event!
Event title
United States - Evacuation orders in effect as Olive Butte Fire bears down on small city
Source
Severity
High
Event date (UTC)
2026-07-13 18:37:25
Last update (UTC)
2026-07-13 18:37:25
Area range
City / district wide event
Address/Affected area(s)
Granite, Grant County (Olive Butte Fire), Oregon
The small city of Granite in Eastern Oregon has received Level 3 — GO NOW evacuation orders, as the growing Olive Butte Fire threatens more structures.
The fire reached more than 1,600 acres as of Monday morning and is one of several blazes currently active in Grant County. Granite, located in a remote corner of the county, has fewer than 100 residents.
Those evacuating can go to the Sumpter Community Center for resources and more information.
Another nearby blaze, the Salmon Fire, has burned more than 1,100 acres so far. More than 500 fire personnel are in the area working to contain the fires.
Fire officials said the Salmon Fire has moved into the North Fork John Day Wilderness area and into an existing burn scar. That, combined with the terrain, has made it difficult for firefighters to gain ground in the area.
“It’s been very dynamic for the past two days,” said Kurt Ranta, operations section chief, in a video update Sunday.
Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Saturday night for the Salmon Fire and on Sunday night for the Olive Butte Fire, allowing more resources to be mobilized to fight the fires.
She has also invoked the act for the East Evans Creek Fire in Southern Oregon.
Fire officials have continued to warn that Oregon is at extreme risk for wildfires this summer, given the lack of snowfall and a persistent drought throughout most of the state.
Ranta noted in the Sunday update that Oregon’s low snowpack has left vegetation at higher elevations exposed to dry air for much longer than usual.
“All you need with that is a little bit of wind — wind is the driver here — you couple that with really dry fuels and you get fire that’s really difficult to catch," he said.
Ranta said the anticipated hotter and drier weather, with potential thunderstorms that could spark new blazes, is another challenge firefighters are anticipating. The response team has outstanding order for more resources to support their work in the area.
The incident response team is holding an in-person community meeting in Prairie City Monday night that will be streamed virtually on the team’s Facebook page.